1 Departement of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.
2 Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal, Canada.
3 School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
4 Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, Canada.

This study explored the association between pandemic-related loss/reduction of employment, sex, COVID-19-related stress and relational conflicts. A sample of 5103 Canadians from the iCARE study were recruited through an online polling firm between October 29, 2020, and March 23, 2021. Logistic regressions revealed that participants with loss/reduction of employment were 3.6 times more likely to report increased relational conflicts compared to those with stable employment (OR = 3.60; 95% CIs = 3.03-4.26). There was a significant interaction between employment status and sex (x² = 10.16; p < 0.005), where loss/reduction of employment was associated with more relational conflicts in males compared to females. There was a main effect of COVID-19-related stress levels on relational conflicts (increased stress vs no stress : OR = 9.54; 95% CIs = 6.70-13.60), but no interaction with loss/reduction of employment (x² = 0.46, p = 0.50).